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Dionne, who is an apprentice at H. Huntsman & Sons on Savile Row, so impressed the judges with her striking military-inspired frock coat and overalls that they gave her the second place prize at the Golden Shears’ glittering ceremony in London.

Dionne Reeves' winning design

“I’m so thrilled to have won the Silver Shears award,” says Dionne, 29, who became interested in menswear whilst studying fashion at the University of Central England.

“I still can’t believe it, the competition was very strong this year.

“It really does mean a lot, and has helped my confidence to become the best tailor I can be.”

Dionne’s garment was first assessed by five technical judges in January, and then judged on style by five guest judges when it was modelled on a catwalk at Merchant Taylors’ Hall on Monday.

The results were calculated from a points system according to these two assessments.

Jennifer Saunders said: “It was the hardest thing to judge, the standard was just so high.”

Golden Shears was founded in 1974 to find the most accomplished tailor in the UK.

Since 1998, the award has focused on supporting education in the industry.

Now only industry trainees and students on dedicated tailoring courses, with less than a total of seven years of further education or training are eligible to enter the competition.

The trophies feature a pair of cutting shears mounted on mahogany to represent the traditional tool used by cutters and tailors and the benches on which they worked and honed their craft.

Fellow judge and fashion designer Betty Jackson, who trained in Birmingham, added: “The pace of fashion is fast, exciting and very demanding and it is important that our schools and colleges provide the industry with the right skills and ideas to feed these demands.”